Celestite (8C+) FA by Dave Graham, 41

David Graham reports on Insta that in March he did the FA of Celestite (8C+) in Valle Bavona. The 41-year-old made his first 8a headline in 2000 and has since been one of the world's strongest climbers. Amazingly, he had his best year ever last year with two 8C+’s and seven 8C’s. (c) Rainer Eder

”I approached this problem with zero expectations every session as I really wanted it, but the style of climbing required patience, balance, and a laser sharp focus, hard things to bundle all together; there was no just "trying hard".

After three sessions trying to progress from the start, always making it a move farther, in a magical moment, after a crazy fight, I found myself standing at the top. Astonished to have not drawn out the process, a habit of mine, my first thought was to question its difficulty. Could I climb something of this level that quickly? If it had taken another ten days of making mistakes, I'd have zero hesitation with the proposal, yet, I often doubt my strengths and abilities.

If compare it to all the lines I've climbed, it seems like where it belongs, unless I missed some crucial easier beta. I'm very proud of my climbing on this one, it's majestic, climbs beautifully, and is an amazing addition to the valley.”

How can you still progress after 20+ years as a pro climber?
I feel stronger honestly! 😅😅😅, 🤔🤔🤔. Not sure why?? Maybe smarter??? Healthier lifestyle. Ah just eating better, no partying, lots of good rest!! Better attitude about climbing, more patient and also less concerned with conditions. Always finding new solutions, not getting angry. In the past, I would get much more frustrated when I would fail or not do well. These days I think I'm so used to failing that I'm surprised when I succeed. I do boulders that are really my antistyle too. So I assume they should be hard but I think it really helped my mental game, to push longer and harder. Never get pissed, it is not wise!!! I am feeling strong!!